Basket filter for deep fat frying apparatus



Sept. 6, 1955 H. L. SMITH 2,716,938

BASKET FILTER FOR DEEP FAT FRYING APPARATUS Filed May 8, 1951 2 sheets-sheet 1 @yx myx/yy Wo INVENTOR HARRY L. SMITH ATTORNEY l Sept. 6, 1955 H- L, SMlTH 2,716,938

BASKET FILTER FOR DEEP FAT FRYING APPARATUS Filed May 8, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 2l 26 26 HARRY L. SMITH ATTORNEY BYM United States Patent...

` BASKETFILTERFOR DEERFAT AFRYING APPARA TUS Harry L. Smith, Lake "Waccamaw; N. C. Application May 8, 1-951,Serial'No`.-22S',208

3 Claims. (Cl:j99-408) This invention relates Atoallfilterbasket` for deepv fat frying apparatus and has 1foranmobject -to` provide an improved lter*basketfparticularly useful indeep fat frying apparatus,particularly-apparatus such` asare used the kitchens of'restaurants, institutions, and'other'places wherein food,v such as lFrench"friedp'otatoes, chicken, oysters, onions, etcfare'friedindeep fat, andit is desired to keep the fat free from `contamination'by any food particles or materials that drop off the `food into the fat and either contaminate'the fatper se or are-'apt to1 descend through the fat to that -partof the-apparatus Where'the heat is applied -to' the fat, and be 4- broken down'by the heat into fat contaminating materials.

A further object of this invention-is-toprovide a means for preventing any food'particlesor othermaterials from reaching the heating area of the deep 'fat frying apparatus, and for so completely filtering thedeep Vfat lwhenever desiredthat different types of food'can `be lsuccessfully fried in such'deep fat'without anyftaste from one 'food being carried-over `vand vimplanted-"in a successive food if the filter is utilized to fstrainithe fat between the different foods.

A further object of 'thisfinvention is'to provide la -basket filter for-deep fat frying apparatus'which may-be made in various sizes, shapesfand dimensions, tdfit any existing institutional, commercial,` or home kitchen style of deep fat frying apparatus.

A furtherobjectfof thisinventionfis to-pro'vide a-basket filter for a deep -fat' fryingfapparatus whereinthe basket lter is providedvx with a' removableand/replaceable element should the original filter element be accidentally damaged through any cause whatsoever.

Still a furtherfobjectfof this -inventionisftoV provide a basket filter for Ideepfat frying-apparatuswhich willprevent any food particles fronrthe ffoodbeing fried-from being descended any deeper into -the fat thanthe'ibottom of the food basket,1`thus fpreventingssuchf food particles Vfrom fapproaching too closely to'v vlthe'heating portion of the apparatus, and preVenting-a'breakdown of thefood particles into-fat contaminating materials.

Stilla further objectof 'this 'invention `is tolprovide a basket filterV for a deep fat frying vapparatus-which -Will thoroughly'and completely strain all thefatwhich-serves to heatthefoodin the food basket,as airesultof which the life of the `fat is extended 150% or=more,ian'impor tant factor whenl'the cost-of 'thefrying fat is thigh, :and the fat itself is inshort supply.

Yet a further Iobjecttof :this'iinvention' is vtoprovide a filter basket fora deep ffatryingapparatuswhereinfthe filter basket' may berof any suitable metal, such as aluminum, l"stainless steel, or other-materials lnot 'apt -to1be injured-by or to contaminatethe fryingfat or-foodbeing fried therein, and wherein thefilter-'elementper -seL is made of suitable material su'ch as copper mesh, which likewise willnot contaminate the fator=thefood,fit^being understood of course that thebasket itself'could likewise be made of the same'materialasthe coppermesh That is, the basket could be'made of sheet'copperiide's'ired.

V`VVportedtherein bythe usual food basket supporting grid,

l=and which in'tturn'thas atta'chable'food'basket supporting lfelements#which :will support the food basket .spaced yslightly above thefilter element-andthe Vsupporting grid, "wherebydhe Icirculation of the 'frying fat will not beimpeded whatsoever, the supporting element itself being preferably,l `although-notnecessarily, of grid construction. l As'till furtherobject ofthis `invention is to provide a basketfilter' which l'will fsupportandstrain out any 'food *particles or vthelike well-ab'ove"the heating elements'of the' deep fat fryingfapparatus, thus makingthe heating -andlpre-he'ating-of the `cooking fat much'more eiiicient since -noA waste ori broken down food particles are 'permitted -to'accumul'ate on the heating element to insulate the samey and interfere with its efiiciency.

A further objectv of this'invention is to provide a'basket tvfilterfordeepffat fryingapparatus where all that part of 4-Jthe fat vorcooking'oilthathas 'ben exposed to and in contactlwithlthe vfoodbeing fried is thoroughly strained bymerely temporarily'removing'thetilter basketfrotn the 'cooking-'well-while thecooking oil has been heated to a high liquidV condition.

--Yet afurther object-of thisinvention is'to'provide a filter basket for a deep fat frying apparatus wherein 'the flter''ba`sket-is"provided with integrally secured handles ffhavingextending-link-sectionswhich tend to remainnormially cool throughoutthe cooking process, thus enabling the'bask'et'tobee'readilyfremoved'to strainthe oil or fat fwhilethecooking continues, then after cleaning the *Hstrain'erthezstrainer basket may-be readily replaced.

With-the-'foregoingandother objects in View, this invention4 comprises the combination, construction and ar- ^r`rangementofparts hereinafter'set forth,"claimed and disclosed-inthe accompanying drawings, wherein:

1 fFigJ luis' anfisometricview `of a deep fat frying appar`ratusto.whichthelfilter basket of this invention has been added;

i 'Fig."2'is a=|sectionaleview`of theupper portion of'the "i fryingl apparatuswshowingdhe -filter basket mounted therein; i i Figr: -isf-an isometric view of one of the food basket ylsuppo'rts;

-Fig. i4 isanisometric view'ofthe iilter'basket of this @'"finventionyand Fig. -5i is'a sectional viewon line5'-5 of Fig. 4. There -is *shown atA 10 a deep fat frying apparatus'of the' style usedin commercial, institutional, and industrial l-fkitchens,=more-details of this particular apparatus being Ashown in'the patentiitoiPappas 2,528,776 of November T7, '1950. However, `|this'particular deep fat'frying ap- 'paratusfhas 5been shown for illustrative purposes only, v'arid-fanyltype'or-styleof kdeep fatV frying apparatus'may --f-beused in-combination^with a filter basket 11 of' this supported during the deepv fat frying process. Below the foodbasket supporting grid 13 there is provided a sump 15' leading toa drainpipe 16 and control valve l17. EX- tending about or through thesump 15 is a Aheating unit "18, hereshown as a gas heating unit whose llames contact ""the sides' ofthe sump'v15`si1bstantially below the food basket supporting igrid13, thereby s'ettingup a circula- `tion of heatedV oil or fat from the sump 15 up lthrough ltheigridiflintothe'food basket 14 andthen down again. A:This"'ci`rculation`normally Vcarrieswith it any food'particles, crumbs, etc. that may be thrown olf or dropped oi the food in the basket 14, and in the particular apparatus illustrated it is intended or hoped that such food particles will accumulate in the drain pipe 16 to be discarded by opening the valve 17. However, such food particles must pass over and extremely close to the heated portion of the sump and a substantial proportion thereof are broken down or accumulated on the sides of the sump 15 and serve both to contaminate the cooking fat or oil therein as well as to accumulate and insulate the sides of the sump 15, thus interfering with the eiiiciency of the heating unit 1S.

The basket filter of this invention prevents any of the food particles, crumbs, etc. from circulating down into the sump 15. The basket filter 11 of this invention consists of a metal basket having its sides shaped and dimensioned to iit within the deep fat frying apparatus well 12 as shown in Fig. 2. As here shown with the particular illustration, there are four metal sides of a shape and dimension to just iit within the well 12, the bottom of each side 20 having an inturned ledge 21 and at its top has a down-turned reinforcing flange 22, although obviously this reinforcing flange 22 may be omitted if the gauge of the metal or the material of the metal is sufficient to provide strength Without the use of this reinforcing flange. The metal of the sides of the basket 11 may be of aluminum, stainless steel, copper or any other suitable metal which will not affect or contaminate the cooking oil or fat or the food being prepared therein.

Arranged to be supported on the inner ledge 21 of the basket 11 is a iilter element 23 consisting of a frame member 24 of a size and shape to tit over the ledge 21 and be removably secured thereto by studs 25 permanently or detachably secured through the frame 24 and arranged to extend through appropriately located apertures in the ledge 21 and be secured thereto by removable nuts 26. Permanently secured to the frame 24 by any suitable means is a filter mesh 29 preferably made of copper wire having a mesh of eighty by seventy (80 x 70), commonly known as 80-rnesh copper wire, the wire strainer itself having a gauge of 0055. This particular gauge and mesh has been found most suitable for permitting ready circulation of the heated cooking fat or oil therethrough, yet at the same time preventing passage of any food par ticles, crumbs, or the like therethrough.

The filter basket 11 is dimensioned and shaped so that it will fit Within the well 12 of the deep fat frying apparatus 10 and be supported on the supporting grid 13. Two food basket supporting elements 27 are provided and arranged to be detachably secured to the opposite long sides 2t) of the filter basket 11. Each of these supporting elements 27 consists of a vertical leg 28 having a hooked end at the top thereof and a horizontally extending supporting foot 31 at the bottom thereof. Although this supporting element 27 could be made of sheet metal with a number of circulatory openings in the foot portion thereof, as here illustrated, the supporting element may be made of a wire mesh of suitable gauge and strength similar, but possibly slightly heavier than the wire mesh used in the food basket 14. The vertical leg 28 will be preferably about one-quarter of an inch shorter than the height of one of the strainer basket sides 29, as a result of which the pair of supporting elements 27 will support the food basket 14 and its contained food about one-quarter of an inch above the wire filter 29, thereby permitting free circulation of the heated cooking fat or oil up through the mesh 29 through the supporting foot 31 and into the food basket 14.

A handle finger 32 is secured as by spot welding, riveting or the like 33, to each of the short sides 20 of filter basket 11, and has an upwardly extending ear 34 provided with an aperture 3S to which is secured several links of a chain 36, the chain 36 thus acting as a handle when it is desired to lift the filter basket from the well 12, or to lower the filter basket 11 into the well 12, while the cooking fat or oil therein is at its maximum ternperature. The hook 30 of supporting element 31 is of such size that it will lit very snugly over the upper edge of the side 20 of lter basket 11 whereby it will not interfere with the entry or removal of the filter basket 11 from the well 12.

In operation the food basket 14 is iilled with food and placed in the Well 12 or removed therefrom while the deep fat frying apparatus 10 is used in its normal manner. However, with this invention, before the food basket 14 is placed in the well 12, the filter basket 11 is lowered into the well 12 being handled by means of the chain 36, either in ones hands or, if necessary, caught in the tongs of a pair of kitchen forks, the basket 11 having the food basket supporting elements 27 in position therein. The cooking oil or fat in the well 12 is iirst pre-heated to its cooking temperature, and as the filter basket 11 is lowered therein, the cooking oil or fat passes freely through the wire mesh 29. Then the food is placed in the food basket 14 and the food basket 14 placed into the well 12, but within the filter basket 11, and is supported on the supporting feet 31. The cooking is performed in the usual manner, and the basket 14 is removed to remove the cooked food and replaced with a new supply as often as needed. The filter basket 11 is not removed every time a new supply of food is placed in the food basket 14, and'it has been found sutiicient to remove, clean, and replace the filter basket 20 about once every two hours, particularly as long as the same type of food is being cooked. However, should the type of food be changed, as for instance, a change from frying onions to frying chickens, it is desirable to remove, clean and replace the filter basket between the changeover from one type of food to the next. This insures the removal of all food particles, crumbs, or the like from the cooking oil and prevents any odor or contamination from one type of food being carried over and imparted to the other type of food, and the cooking fat or oil remains uncontaminated by any food particles. In addition, no food particles or crumbs can drop down and lodge on the heating area of the sump 15, hence the particles cannot be broken down either into fat or oil contaminating materials or into an insulating crust over the heating area of the sump. As a result, the cooking fat likewise does not break down so readily and its life is greatly extended as compared to the life of the cooking fat in the same apparatus without the presence of the filter basket of this invention.

While the device has been shown and the structure described in detail, it is obvious that this invention is not to be considered as being limited to the exact form disclosed, and that changes in detail and construction may be made therein within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of this invention.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

1. A deep fat frying device comprising an open-topped receptacle having a cooking portion at the upper end thereof and a sump at the lower end thereof, conduit means extending from said sump, heating means externally encompassing said sump adjacent the juncture between said sump and said cooking portion, a screen element positioned within said receptacle between said cooking portion and said surnp, and a plurality of oppositely positioned basket-support means mounted within said cooking portion above said screen element, each of said support means being of mesh construction and comprising a vertical section and a horizontal section extending laterally from one end of said vertical section, the opposite end of said vertical section being provided with a hooked portion releasably clamped over an upper edge portion of said receptacle, said horizontal section being vertically spaced from said screen.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said cooking portion i' is a container having substantially imperforate side Walls,

an open top and a screened bottom and wherein said container is separably positioned within said receptacle, and is provided with handle means for lifting it from within said receptacle, and wherein said screen element comprises said screened bottom of said container and a second screen section connected to said sump.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein a housing encompasses said receptacle, said heating means being positioned between said housing and said sump.

652,283 Messer June 26, 1900 6 Garrett Nov. 8, Buedingen Sept. 5, Bynum et a1 Oct. 28, Locke Apr. 6, Shroyer Oct. 17, De Vry Apr. 3, Koch Aug. 25, Anetsberger Nov. 17, McBirney Nov. 14, Childs Oct. 29, Pappas Nov. 7, Overbeck et a1. Apr. 21, 

